Building on failure

Grace Gill

In the same year I set two world records, I bombed out of my first meet. The USPA Summer Smash in August was supposed to be a meet I did for fun, for more platform practice before IPL North Americans, to compete with my friends at my home gym, to compete with my sister for the first time.

Bombing out was the worst feeling in the world, I was devastated. It can be so frustrating to let weeks of hard work amount to seemingly nothing. I took a big hit to my confidence as a lifter; dealt with shame, self-doubt, and fear of failing again. I forgot why I even liked lifting.

I am extremely grateful for that failure. Instead of giving up, I spent the 14 weeks between competitions determined to redeem myself against my own criticism. I made a conscious effort every day to become more prepared than I’ve ever been for a meet, sometimes going into the gym at 5am just to get my training in before school or eating cold meal prep at work events.

I overcame a considerable challenge, prioritizing powerlifting as a full time student and employee launching my professional career. However, I had no doubt in my mind when I stepped on the platform again.

I walked away from IPL NA with a world record squat, world record total, a gold medal in juniors, a silver medal in open and a qualifying dots score for the 2023 American Pro 2. December 2022, I was ranked Arkansas’ Best Female Lifter. Failing taught me more about myself as a lifter and I wouldn’t have succeeded in the way I did if it weren’t for that growth, so I thought it was worth sharing